dpjohansen's Full Review: Rocky Dennis [EP] by Jens Lekman
Five years ago a 19 year old aspiring musician began his career by simply burning his self produced songs to CD-Rs, with distribution through various sources such as fanzines and so forth. By the time 2003 arrived, the now 22 year old lad had emerged from the indie-pop underground and been picked up by Scandinavian label, Service. The same year, his first commercially marketed CD was available in the guise of "Maple Leaves EP". Of course, this had mass appeal in Sweden and the EP made a moderate dent in the Swedish charts, peaking at number 11. And so began the road to semi-stardom by Gothenburg's wonderful Jens Lekman.
"The Rocky Dennis EP" was first released in 2003 on Service, but this one, along with Lekman's previous EP, was picked up by American label Secretly Canadian, and subsequently released in 2004 in the US. This was followed later that year by his album "When I Said I Wanted to be Your Dog", which had originally been released on Service in Scandinavia earlier in the year.
"The Rocky Dennis EP" (2004 Service, Scandinavia / Secretly Canadian, US)
Rocky Dennis, in case you don't know, is a character from the 1985 movie "Mask", starring Eric Stoltz as the boy with a disfiguring facial disease (Cher played his Mum). Rocky Dennis is also an alias Lekman became known by in Sweden (not by his own choosing). Throughout the 3 of the 4 songs featured, Lekman beautifully captures the tale of Rocky Dennis, incorporating a whimsical air of beauty and humour to the tragic story.
In the movie, Rocky Dennis falls for a pretty blind girl (played by Laura Derne), in "Rocky Dennis' Farewell to the Blind Girl", Lekman recounts their relationship through the eyes of Rocky himself, which was one of discovery and heartbreak. Breezy string arrangements, aided by a playful glockenspiel, lie on a bed of hazy beats as Lekman confidently takes you through their story. But this isn't just a trip through naval gazing inevitable love found / love lost tragedy. A comedy edge is added, which gives the song an entirely different perspective;
Someday I'll be stuffed in some museum,
Scaring little kids.
With the inscription 'Carpe Diem'
Something I never did.
It's here that you realise Lekman isn't just another romantic with tales of woe, there's invariably two sides to his lyrical genius, and comedy often follows tragedy.
"Rocky Dennis in Heaven" indulges itself with a plaintive violin, and a deftly plucked acoustic guitar. It's a short sweep of music which takes you into "Jens Lekman's Farewell to Rocky Dennis". We're treated to a bright piano, which elegantly dances around some finger clicking, before Lekman's voice appears. The song is light and almost jaunty. Lyrically, Lekman bids farewell to his alias (hence the title). It's almost like he's pulling off his own mask to reveal himself. As Rocky Dennis is finally put to bed, so begins a new chapter. "If You Ever Need a Stranger" is the hilarious tale of a wedding singer. The conviction in Lekman's voice, as he croons his way through this whistle clad piano ballad, makes his lyrics all the more wry;
I know every song, you name it,
By Bacharach or David,
Every stupid love song that's ever touched your heart,
Every power ballad that's ever climbed the charts
I find the song both ridiculously amusing and heartbreakingly sweet. The floating, melodic sounds fantastically underlie Lekman's bittersweet sarcasm, in both his lyrics, and his voice.
In real life, Jens Lekman is a man with a very big heart, who's not afraid to tell you how he feels, or what he's thinking, no matter how revealing or ridiculous it might sound. He's completely able to laugh at his own misfortune. It's an endearing naivete that he carries through to his music. "The Rocky Dennis EP" is a collection of bittersweet, often wry, ballads that gently caress your ears like a cool gust of wind on a hot day. Lekman is a crooner, but one that owes his music more to the likes of Belle & Sebastian, Rufus Wainwright and Morrissey, rather than Frank Sinatra. His voice has an air of deep maturity for his age, a warm voice that both captivates and encapsulates the listener. His songs often masquerade as sweet symphonies for the love-lorn and lost, but upon closer inspection, oftentimes reveal themselves to be humorous observations, incorporating random musings and tragic comedies. Jens Lekman makes beautiful indie-pop that defies any logical descriptions, other than to say it's heartfelt and honest. Serene and ambient musical arrangements that sometimes lament, and sometimes skip quietly with childlike abandon. But it's always gorgeous. And if you like the sound of this, you'll love his album.
Cheers.
Overall: 5 stars
Tracks:
1. Rocky Dennis' Farewell to the Blind Girl
2. Rocky Dennis in Heaven
3. Jens Lekman's Farewell to Rocky Dennis
4. If You Ever Need a Stranger
Great Music to Play While Contemplating a career as a wedding singer
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